I don't recall any arcing from the shoe and wire which I find curious.

"Cordicron" -

On one of the many short video's, I did notice a little bit of arcing. It's very quick and you have to be lucky to see it.

Les

TimReynolds

Post subject: Re: Are Park Trains "Real" Trains?

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:49 pm

Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:11 pmPosts: 271

Nice theme question. I tend to look to what causes the “train” to be.

A) Was the “train” inspired by a historical landscape?OrB) Was the “train” once a part of the historical landscape?

Then the same can be applied to the trackage upon which the “train” resides.

C) Was the trackage inspired by a historical landscape?OrD) Was the trackage once a part of the historical landscape?

This will give you a classification matrix for the train you are assessing. Take Knott’s Berry Farm’s train. It would be a B/C. The locomotives and rolling stock were once a part of the historical landscape but the trackage was inspired by the historical landscape. The Portland Zoo’s train would score A/C. Both train and trackage are inspired by the historical landscape. This macro matrix could be further specified by adding additional criteria. Criteria that would allow one to classify a locomotive such as 4501 which though an original has been significantly modified beyond its historical fabric (tender, stoker, feedwater, low water alarm, roller bearings, etc.) Back to the question does it count? This is still a free country, and train’s significance is and always will be subjective. When a theme park gets rid of a train it is a loss to us all because it demonstrates a lack of general interest.

I was aware of the Crown testing on EBT. I was not aware any Crown made it to Hawaii. Is that just some random FB comment, or is there some truth behind it? I thought I recalled it went to someplace like Six Flags.

TimReynolds

Post subject: Re: Are Park Trains "Real" Trains?

Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 12:03 pm

Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:11 pmPosts: 271

I'm in GA and we have the Stone Mountain Scenic RR. From its start it was all over the map A/B/C/D. Historical equipment modified to look like something from the past operating on trackage that was inspired by the past with parts on the old quarry ROW. In 50 more years the Stone Mountain Scenic RR will be an antique...

J3a-614

Post subject: Re: Are Park Trains "Real" Trains?

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:53 pm

Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:41 amPosts: 3167Location: Inwood, W.Va.

A park railroad with some beautiful and authentic looking locomotives--in Spain! Port Adventura Park, complete with bluegrass music and steam locomotives by Severn Lamb.

The "article" the photo came from. The interesting thing to me is that the author, who does not seem to be what we would call a serious rail enthusiast, did take the time to note that these Severn Lamb steam outline locomotives are based on an Aspinwall designed locomotive built for service in India.

Coalition for Sustainable Rail has been a sometimes controversial subject here (this is the group that wants to set a new steam speed record with a former Santa Fe 4-6-4, using "biocoal" made from renewable wood), but they are apparently serious enough to do instrumented testing--and who is going to say Milwaukee Zoo's 15 inch gauge No. 1924 (Sandley, 1977) doesn't sound and look impressive?

I was aware of the Crown testing on EBT. I was not aware any Crown made it to Hawaii. Is that just some random FB comment, or is there some truth behind it? I thought I recalled it went to someplace like Six Flags.

No Crowns went to Hawaii,however the two locomotives that were rebuilt by Keystone Light Railways for the LK&P were tested on the EBT. As I recall this was the first three foot locomotive that Crown built, and went to Legend City in Arizona

It seems appropriate that the biocoal tests occurred on the Milwaukee Zoo railroad. I recall they had done extensive testing and analysis in the 80s or 90s regarding the efficiency of fuel and operating costs for a steam-powered park train. So it is already a test-bed of sorts.

I also recall that Sandley incorporated some innovations in his locomotive designs, such as gear-driven rotary valves. To my knowledge, the Milwaukee Zoo railroad is the only commercial-installation park train operation of the Sandley's that remains today. Also surviving, of course, is the home-operation of the Sandley's on the Riverside and Great Northern in the Dells, which is like a miniature railway museum/EBT in and of itself. It was abandoned and dormant for 6 years or so before being restored by a group of volunteers.

Ok - after 7 pages of this, if we could sum up (and that's a big if) - what are generally speaking, "real" trains - especially concerning steam locomotives - as opposed to park or "fake" trains - again especially concerning steam locomotives?

Lots of lines could be drawn to create categories, but I don't see how a line could be drawn in terms of real trains versus park trains. The problem is in defining "real." Also, I would not consider park trains to be "fake". That term too needs a definition.

bigjim4life

Post subject: Re: Are Park Trains "Real" Trains?

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 2:28 pm

Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 10:30 pmPosts: 632Location: Bucks County, PA

Ron Travis wrote:

bigjim4life wrote:

Ok - after 7 pages of this, if we could sum up (and that's a big if) - what are generally speaking, "real" trains - especially concerning steam locomotives - as opposed to park or "fake" trains - again especially concerning steam locomotives?

Lots of lines could be drawn to create categories, but I don't see how a line could be drawn in terms of real trains versus park trains. The problem is in defining "real." Also, I would not consider park trains to be "fake". That term too needs a definition.

I tend to think of anything 24" gauge and larger to be in the realm of "real" railroading, with anything below that getting into the park train category. Now there can be some overlap but generally once you get to 24" you are using larger and heavier built equipment, much of it formerly used in industry.

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